


An Angel, a Demon and a Baby in a Basket

by Eigon



Category: Good Omens (TV)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-13
Updated: 2020-08-13
Packaged: 2021-03-06 05:01:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 822
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25877845
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eigon/pseuds/Eigon
Summary: Armageddon wasn't the first time that Aziraphale and Crowley were involved with a baby in a basket....
Relationships: Aziraphale & Crowley (Good Omens)
Kudos: 11





	An Angel, a Demon and a Baby in a Basket

Aziraphale stood at the far side of a reed bed, watching a girl of about twelve years old. She was carrying a fairly heavy basket, blackened with pitch to make it waterproof.  
She looked around carefully, and then waded into the river up to her knees. She didn't notice the angel watching her – he made sure of that.  
She placed the basket carefully in the water and, when she was quite sure it wouldn't sink, she pushed it off into the middle of the river. She watched it for a little while and then she ran away.  
Aziraphale kept a careful eye on the basket as he walked along the riverbank, following it downstream. The Nile was wide here, and he didn't want to lose track of it.  
He was distracted from his task by a familiar voice.  
"You're not killing kids again, are you?"  
Aziraphale looked round. The demon Crawley was lounging under a fig tree, dressed in a short black tunic, with his long red hair cascading loose around his shoulders. He waved languidly at the angel.  
"That wasn't my fault!" he protested. "I was just – there, bearing witness." He glanced back towards the river, where the basket was bobbing along in the current. "This is quite different – God wants me to look after this child. He's supposed to grow up to be someone very important."  
"But first he's got to grow up," Crawley drawled.  
Aziraphale scanned the waters around the basket. A crocodile was swimming towards it – a large crocodile with a lot of sharp teeth. Aziraphale waved a hand, and the crocodile abruptly lost interest in the packed lunch that was floating past it, and swam back to the bank on the other side of the river.  
Crawley rose from his position leaning against the tree and came to join the angel. They walked along the riverbank together.  
"Aren't you supposed to be bald?" Crawley asked, after a while. "I mean, you're dressed like one of their priests, aren't you?"  
Aziraphale was wearing a pleated linen skirt, with a length draped over one shoulder, leaving most of his chest bare. He had a wide golden collar around his neck.  
"I didn't want to," he said. "I like my hair as it is, thank you." He looked at Crawley suspiciously. "What are you doing here, anyway?" he asked. "I suppose you've got some wily scheme I'll have to thwart."  
"I'm not actually due to be in Egypt for a few years yet," Crawley said. "I thought I'd come early to get the feel of the place – and I heard you were in the area...." He shrugged. Aziraphale could see him shrugging out of the corner of his eye while he was pretending to have all his attention on the basket in the river.  
"But when I am due to be here," Crawley continued, "I'll be hardening Pharaoh's heart over something or other. The Hebrews, probably. Some of them are thinking about rebellion and that's always a good thing for a demon to encourage."  
"That child is a Hebrew," Aziraphale said. "His sister put him in the river to save his life."  
"She wasn't thinking about the crocodiles, was she?"  
Aziraphale gently dissuaded another crocodile from investigating the basket too closely. "I imagine she was more worried about the Egyptian soldiers who were going to murder him," he said.  
"Oh, I see," Crawley said, with a hint of a hiss. "But God didn't send you here to save all the Hebrew children, did She?"  
"Just this one," Aziraphale admitted. "It's -"  
"Part of the Great Plan. Yeah, I know."  
They walked along in silence for a while. On the other bank of the river, they could see a low building, with pillars on the side opening onto the riverbank, and broad steps leading down into the river. The basket was floating roughly in that direction. Aziraphale gave it the slightest of nudges to send it closer. "Oh, look – I think the basket may be coming into land."  
"What's that place then?" Crawley asked, squinting in the glare from the sunlight on the river.  
"Oh, it's where Pharaoh's daughter and her handmaidens come to bathe every day." There were, indeed, several figures dressed in white linen paddling on the steps.  
One of them noticed the basket in the water. She waded out from the bottom of the steps, grabbed it and towed it back to the steps with her. Aziraphale and Crawley watched as she looked into the basket, took the baby out, and showed it to the other young women. They gathered around, admiring the baby.  
"Well, that's all right then," Aziraphale said, sounding greatly relieved. "He can't come to any harm if Pharaoh's daughter is looking after him."  
"Hebrew slave to Pharaoh's palace – not bad for a morning's work," Crawley said, grudgingly. "I bet you'll get a gold star."  
Aziraphale looked suddenly anxious. "I do hope Gabriel's pleased," he said.


End file.
